Fairy tale movies for grown-ups

Caption'Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters'

Paramount Pictures

Fairy tales of far-away lands, conquering heroes and mythical beasts are often much darker than the animated, musical movie versions most of us remember from childhood. Hollywood has decided fairy tales will now join "old TV shows" and "comic books" as Hollywood's go-to reservoir of material....

Fairy tales of far-away lands, conquering heroes and mythical beasts are often much darker than the animated, musical movie versions most of us remember from childhood. Hollywood has decided fairy tales will now join "old TV shows" and "comic books" as Hollywood's go-to reservoir of material.... (Paramount Pictures)

Familiar fairy tale characters: Childless couple, a supernatural child Why it's not for kids: The title character is a tree root that comes to life for a childless couple who really, really want a baby. Though the story may not be familiar to American audiences, it's based on a Czech fairy tale...

Familiar fairy tale characters: Childless couple, a supernatural child Why it's not for kids: The title character is a tree root that comes to life for a childless couple who really, really want a baby. Though the story may not be familiar to American audiences, it's based on a Czech fairy tale... (Boris Baromykin / Zeitgeist Films)

Familiar fairy tale characters: Wicked stepfather, lonely little girl Why it's not for kids: Writer-director Guillermo del Toro's dark fairy tale features creatures designed to give even adults nightmares. In fact, the Pale Man, with fingers in its palms and a taste for fairies and little...

Familiar fairy tale characters: Wicked stepfather, lonely little girl Why it's not for kids: Writer-director Guillermo del Toro's dark fairy tale features creatures designed to give even adults nightmares. In fact, the Pale Man, with fingers in its palms and a taste for fairies and little... (Picturehouse)

Familiar fairy tale characters: Beauty, beast, witch Why it's not for kids: This modern retelling of the classic story of a recovering egomaniac with a semi-permanent disfigurement and a ticking clock demanding he find someone to love him despite his looks is set in the epicenter of vanity: a...

Familiar fairy tale characters: Beauty, beast, witch Why it's not for kids: This modern retelling of the classic story of a recovering egomaniac with a semi-permanent disfigurement and a ticking clock demanding he find someone to love him despite his looks is set in the epicenter of vanity: a... (Takashi Seida / Associated Press)

Familiar fairy tale characters: The real-life Jacob Grimm and his brother Wilhelm, as well as references to Snow White, Rapunzel and other characters they collected for their stories. Why it's not for kids: Director Terry Gilliam's not-exactly-based-on-facts 2005 fantasy film places the famous...

Familiar fairy tale characters: The real-life Jacob Grimm and his brother Wilhelm, as well as references to Snow White, Rapunzel and other characters they collected for their stories. Why it's not for kids: Director Terry Gilliam's not-exactly-based-on-facts 2005 fantasy film places the famous... (Ralph Nelson / Dimension Films)